1. Field of the Invention
Apparatuses and methods consistent with the present invention generally relate to a protective cup and a method of manufacturing the protective cup. The protective cup may be used, for example, in athletic and/or other activities requiring protection for the lower abdominal and/or genital area of men, women, boys, and/or girls.
2. Description of the Related Art
Protective cups have been used for many years by athletes. Traditionally, players in baseball, boxing, football, hockey, lacrosse, and rugby have used such cups to protect themselves from injury resulting from sporting contact with other players (i.e., checking or tackling) and other types of external impact (i.e., getting hit by a pitch or shot). More recently, protective cups have become important in other sports such as martial arts, mountain biking, motocross, snow skiing, waterskiing, and the like. Similarly, in fields such as professional security or the military, where interaction with protesters, suspected criminals, or terrorists may involve violent physical contact, a protective cup may make the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful interaction.
Traditional protective cups have a number of deficiencies. First, they are often bulky, restricting movement of the wearer. Second, this bulkiness often results in their being heavy and, thus, tiring to wear for an extended period. Third, they often are rigid, again restricting movement of the wearer and contributing to the wearer's discomfort. Fourth, they often have poor ventilation, exacerbating the wearer's discomfort. And fifth, some of these protective cups are fairly complex, contributing to higher manufacturing costs and sales price, as well as increased maintenance problems and shortened product life.
Therefore, there is a need for a protective cup that is simple, lightweight, compact, flexible, more comfortable, and has improved ventilation.
Illustrative, non-limiting embodiments of the present invention overcome the above disadvantages and other disadvantages not described above. However, the present invention is not required to overcome the disadvantages described above, and an illustrative, non-limiting embodiment of the present invention may not overcome any of the problems described above.